Splurge or Save, Part 2

So, two weeks ago (last week, I took Friday off for Dear Husband’s and my 15th wedding anniversary!), I talked about how there are some things I splurge on in our home (especially after the cheap Target rug came apart!), and some things I save on. I talked about the things I splurge on in that post, so for today’s Friday Five, Splurge or Save, Part 2, here’s what I save on for our home.

Five things I save on for our home:

(1)  Good quality furniture or decor at second-hand sales.

I love finding good quality furniture on the cheap! I love scouring thrift stores, estate sales, consignment stores, and yard sales to find good furniture at a low price.

– Click on the photo for the “before” and how I transformed it –

I always get so excited when I find something with good bones at a second-hand store!

Click on the photo to see how I redid my dining room!

(2) Picture frames.

My favorite place to buy picture frames is IKEA!

They have good quality frames, and I love the simplicity and clean lines of them. They come in black, white, natural wood, and some come in colors, and they come in every size. I love the black frames with white mats, but, as you can see above, I mix it up with some black and some white frames.

Click here for my favorite solution for framing oddly-shaped art!

(3) Wall art.

I know some may disagree with me on this, but I prefer to save on wall art for our home. I’ve used all kinds of repurposed stuff as art, including architectural plans and – my favorite – a banner my grandmother received for winning a speech tournament in college.

I have framed maps that I love, and I use my kids’ art throughout our home.

For more “real” art, I love finding paintings or other wall hangings at thrift stores or estate sales. But getting creative with what’s art in your home can save you money!

(4) Storage.

The storage containers in our home – baskets and bins – generally come from one of three places: IKEA, Target, or the dollar store!

Oh, except for the lockers in the kids’ hallway!

I got the lockers at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, so they were still a bargain (and the purchase was for a good cause)!

Generally, I find that storage containers from discount stores work really well. I’ve even gotten larger storage pieces at IKEA, like this sorter we use for art supplies:

Click on the photo for how I organized the best pantry ever (!!) in our first house.

For bookcases, I’ve found that yard sales, yard sale pages on Facebook, and thrift stores are good sources. Sometimes they need repainting or refreshing a bit, but the price is right!

Click on the photo for how to dress up a yard sale bookcase!

(5) Anything that’s trendy.

Sure, some trends are here to stay (farmhouse style, anyone?). But others don’t stick around. (In fact, remember this Friday Five post about trends that we’re over??)

If you aren’t sure about a trend or you just want to try it out, don’t spend a lot on it.

What would you add to this list? What do you save on for your home?